Human Resources: An Online Course for Governmental Officials

This dynamic course has a detailed curriculum consisting of 6 lessons:

Lesson 1 — Human Resources and Risk Management

• Define human-resource management;
• Distinguish between a vision statement, a mission statement, and a values statement;
• Recognize the benefits and challenges of building a “risk-fit” organization; and
• Identify the reasons for documenting HR matters.

Lesson 2 — Recruitment and Selection

• Differentiate between an applicant and a candidate;
• Identify the basic information included in an employment application form;
• List common types of employer-administered tests and selection procedures as well as the requirements for those procedures;
• Recognize the importance of a written job description;
• Recall the two types of employee files and the contents of each type; and
• Recall the law governing the purging of public employee files.

Lesson 3 — Compensation and Benefits

• Define compensation philosophy and describe why all organizations should develop a compensation philosophy;
• Describe the components of a pay scale in a compensation program, including the annual wage survey and benchmark jobs;
• Distinguish between the various types of health-care insurance plans;
• Recognize the need to address increasing health-care costs and ways of managing these costs; and
• Identify the types of employer-provided benefits

Lesson 4 — Performance Management and Appraisal

• Differentiate between performance appraisal and performance management;
• Define the three key elements of performance management;
• List the different types of feedback that an employer can give to an employee;
• Recognize how to evaluate and document employee performance and maintain a performance diary;
• Define the various performance levels; and
• Recall the steps in conducting a performance appraisal interview, including what to do if an employee refuses to sign a document.

Lesson 5 — Discipline and Discharge

• Identify unacceptable employee behavior;
• Recognize the key aspects of progressive disciplinary measures, including the purpose of reprimands;
• Determine what to ask when it comes to dealing with difficult employees;
• Review the elements of discharge, including the need to involve HR and the importance of the termination decision meeting;
• Recognize the rights of terminated employees; and
• Relate the concepts of discipline and discharge to real-world scenarios.

Lesson 6 — Legal Environment of Human Resource Management

• Identify wage and hour issues implicated by the Fair Labor Standards Act, including special application to government employees;
• Recognize impermissible work place discrimination based on age, disability, race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), or national origin;
• Understand the application of the First, Fourth, And Fourteenth Amendments to government employees; and
• Determine when an employee is entitled to job-protected.